Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood

The king temporised, a very unwise thing to do. The sibyls were great ladies, not to be trifled with. She looked at him as he bargained for a lower price and threw half of the books on the fire, just like that. Then the king asked, how much for the remaining six, and she said, a hundred talents. He said this was unfair as she had burned six of them, and again she threw half on the fire. How much now? screamed the king, and she said, a hundred talents, and he thought he saw her hand move, so he said done, and paid a hundred talents for three books when he could have had all twelve for the same price.’
    ‘That’s an interesting allegory to tell a businessman,’ I said. ‘I’ll tell it to James on Saturday night.’
    ‘James? He is your ex-husband? Do I scent a budding re-romance, if that could be called a word?’ he twinkled at me kindly.
    ‘No, you don’t. He wants to talk to me for some reason, why I can’t imagine, and he’s paying. Besides, he has a doting wife now and I believe that she is pregnant.’
    Professor Monk poured himself some more wine in such a pointed manner that I got the hint.
    ‘Don’t be silly. He likes them thin and drooping, something I never was. Either thin or drooping. He’s up to something. James always is. And then I’m going on the Soup Run with Daniel.’
    ‘Tell me about him,’ the old man suggested. ‘But first, help me to my couch, will you? The thing I never imagined about Roman furniture, before I had it made, was that it was so comfortable.’
    I arranged him in a supine posture and fetched the little table with all his things and put it within reach. Then I reclined on the facing couch. He was right. It was very comfortable, once you got used to the strain on the left arm.
    Then I realised I didn’t have much to tell. I didn’t know a lot about Daniel. I could practically see Lepidoptera White folding her arms and nodding at me. I dismissed her as an unpleasant vision.
    ‘He has a grandpa who told him that the reward for a mitzvah is another mitzvah,’ I said. ‘He used to be in the Israeli army. He’s gorgeous.’
    ‘Sounds like a good beginning,’ prompted Professor Monk.
    ‘He has a lot of personal … well, Meroe would call it mana. He told a screaming addict to be a good girl and she became one.’
    ‘
Auctoritas
,’ said the professor. ‘It works on dogs too. Or so I am told. I’ve never had it.’
    ‘And I’m going out with him on the Soup Run on Saturday night and I’ll probably learn a lot more about him,’ I added, sounding a bit defensive even to myself.
    ‘I’m sure you will,’ he said. ‘Nothing like women for gathering information. I’ve always thought it was supernatural. The things your young lady was telling me about our neighbours would have made my hair stand on end, had I any left.’
    I made a mental note to tell Kylie to tone down the goss for Professor Dion.
    ‘She’s failed in one mission, though,’ I said. ‘She doesn’t know anything about the man who’s moved into Lady Diana’s.’
    ‘I met him in the lift,’ said the Professor. ‘Do you mean that I know something that Kylie doesn’t? I am pleased. His name is Holliday. Retired. Something in the city, I would have said, he was wearing a suit which had once been very fashionable. About five years ago, perhaps. No children, no dependants, no wife and no pets. He seemed sad. Perhaps he has lost his wife. I remember what that felt like,’ he added. ‘He asked several questions about who lived here and I referred him to the residents’ committee, who will tell him more than he needs to know.’
    ‘What was your impression of him?’ I asked.
    ‘Tallish, balding, usual number of eyes and ears, I suppose. The situation wasn’t rendered more comfortable by Mrs Pemberthy getting in at the fourth floor and telling me about the sins of your vicious cat. She was also complaining that Mr P spends a lot of time in the garden, which I find unsurprising. How is the